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Saturday, December 29, 2012

Well it's official, Christmastime has come and gone for this year. It seems like it was just Halloween but now here we sit on the edge of a new year and on the brink of another year of wonderful possibilities and memories to make. I am excited for what 2013 will bring for our family! (Hopefully the addition of another little miracle to our family, or at least the announcement of one. Let's keep our fingers crossed!) However we have several accomplishments to make before another lil one can be added to the family. These include potty training and the movement to a "big boy" bed for Colton in the near future. Two things that are sure to prove stressful and time consuming. :)

Christmas for our family was wonderful this year, but very busy at times. With the constant flow of family members in and out of town and lots of "last minute" things to get done, it's no wonder that the holiday flew by before I really had a chance to sit down and enjoy it! I didn't even get my Christmas cards mailed out this year or family Christmas pictures taken. At times I felt like I failed this holiday season, but once I saw how excited and happy my son was on Christmas morning I realized that those other things don't matter, all that matters is that everyone is together, healthy, and happy!

Here is a few photos of the last few days:

This was Cubby's last night here for the year. He had a

movie night with the Grinch and Max.

Santa came!!

Santa's letter to Colton...

Daddy and Colton on Christmas morning...

I love Christmastime and spending time with our families. Even with the craziness of shopping, cleaning, baking, and visiting, there is nothing that I cherish more. I hope everyone out there had a wonderful holiday with their friends and family! :)

With the cold weather and snow everywhere lately, eating at home is not just
something that our family enjoys but also is a necessity. Italian meals are our
comfort food and even though they come with lots of carbs and calories, being
part of an Italian family makes them a very common choice for weekly dinners. My husband loves pasta, but making plain old spaghetti every week gets boring so I like to make a variety of pasta dishes. Including this recipe for scrumptious stuffed manicottis that I threw together a few years ago and has become a big hit in our house.

Monday, December 24, 2012

Holidays are such a wonderful time, but with all the excitement and fun comes a
lot of stress. However, I made a vow to not let all the stress of cleaning,
preparing, shopping, and family visits keep my family from enjoying
the holidays! So every night after dinner, my son and I (and my husband when
he's off) cuddle up under a warm blanket and watch holiday movies!

I really enjoy sharing the movies that I loved as a kid with
Colton. Many of them are classics and much better than the ones that are made
today. To see which movies made our favorites list, click on the "CHRISTMAS"
tab on my Holidays page.

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Baking at Christmastime is doesn't have to be confined to cookies, nothing adds variety to a cookie tray like delicious pieces of homemade candy. One type of candy that I love to add to my trays are chocolate truffles. These incredibly simple yet absolutely delicious treats are sure to please everyone! And with only two ingredients, even the most inexperienced baker can whip these up in no time!

Find the recipe to these yummy chocolate delights under my "RECIPE" tab. ﻿

The arrival of Colton's Elf on a Shelf has been a blessing this year. With temper tantrums a frequent occurrence, the reminder that Santa's helper is watching him seems to help. It's working so well that I'm considering having him stay year round. Colton loves finding Cubby in the morning and seeing what he's been up to!

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Every year, I bake several different kinds of Christmas cookies and treats for
my family as well as for friends and neighbors. While I always try to make a few
new recipes each year, there are some true favorites (most of them family
recipes) that I bake every year. One of these family recipes is my
grandmother's recipe for Kolache. These little jelly filled cookies are a hit
with everyone!

You can find the recipe for these totally yummy cookies and more on my Christmas page under the "Holidays" tab!﻿

Sunday, December 16, 2012

I have to admit that I'm really having fun with this whole Elf on the Shelf thing. I love coming up with new cute ideas for Colton's elf. Colton loves him! The purpose of him is also slowly working. When Colton starts acting up, I remind him that his Elf reports to Santa every night and he is slowly learning to not throw a temper tantrum every time he doesn't get his own way. That makes this mommy happy :)

Saturday, December 15, 2012

My son Colton has recently entered that "wonderful" phase known as the terrible two's. Temper tantrums and whining have become an all to familiar event in our house lately, so I decided that this year would be the perfect time to introduce the "Elf on the Shelf" idea to him. While he is still a little young to understand the concept completely, he does respond when I tell him that the elf, which he named "Cubby" is watching him and telling Santa.

Being the Pinterest obsessed person that I am, I love reading and finding cute Elf on the Shelf ideas, among other things. I've also come up with some cute ideas on my own and so I've decided to make a quick post each day to show what "Cubby" is up to. I love the whole idea of the Elf on the Shelf, if they would have had this when I believed in Santa, I would have always been on my best behavior.

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This morning Colton found him riding off in his police car. He thought it was
the funniest thing seeing him trying to squeeze into his car.﻿

Friday, December 14, 2012

Here we are less than two weeks away from Christmas and I haven't made any posts
about all the fun Christmas related things that I have been up to. It's no
surprise that with all the decorating, crafting, and yummy baking that goes
along with Christmastime, that this is one of my favorite times of the year. But
more important is all the wonderful time I get to spend with my family,
especially my little boy. He is truly the best present I have ever received.

Since story time is one of the most special times we have together, I decided to make a Christmas bedtime story advent calendar, similar to the one that I made for Halloween.

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Check out my list of Christmas themed books that I used this year. You can find them on my Christmas page under the "Holidays" tab.

ABOUT ME

Welcome! Thanks for visiting my blog. I hope you find this site full of useful ideas and tips on how to manage a house, family, and job, all while maintaining your sanity and a little bit of self identity. I am a 28 year old mother to a wonderful and extremely energetic two year old boy, named Colton, who fills each day with laughter and love. His giggles are medicine for even the hardest of days. I am the lucky wife to a very hardworking and loving husband, Jeremy. Since 2005, I have worked in the Emergency Department of a local hospital and recently have decided to stay at home with my son for a while. I do plan on returning to the Emergency Room when I feel the time is right because I truly LOVE what I do.

Like I'm sure many of you mothers out there will relate, from the moment that I first became pregnant with my son my life has become a complete whirlwind. I have spent a lot of time researching other's ideas and coming up with my own to make each day run more smoothly. I decided to create this blog in order to share what I've learned with other mothers out there.

My blog is about 3 main things: home, family, and self. And the third is just as important as the first two! Sometimes when women get married and have children they begin to forget about themselves. From my experience, I have found that I am much better at handling the first two things if I don't forget about the third. Here you will find tips and ideas on home decor and organization, recipes, Kid's activities, parenting tips and tricks, and lots of DIY projects!! As well has posts about fashion, health and beauty, travel, and stress relief. I hope you all enjoy and find something here to make your life a little easier. :))